Water turbine operated rotary fountain brush



L. B. GRAFANI ET AL WATER TURBINE OPERATED ROTARY FOUNTAIN BRUSH March 24, 1953 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 Filed April 28, 1947 Inventom;

Norman B. Chebof Leon B. Grafani March 24, 1953 1.. B. GRAFANI ET AL WATER TURBINE OPERATED ROTARY FOUNTAIN BRUSH Filed April 28, 1947 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Inventors rman B. Chebof Leon 8. Grafani Patented Mar. 24, 1953 WATER TURBINE OPERATED ROTARY FOUNTAIN BRUSH Leon B. Grafani, Brooklyn, N. Y., and Norman B. Chebot, Fall River, Mass., assignors to Small Turbine Corporation, New York, N. Y.

Application April 28, 1947, Serial No. 744,460

2 Claims. 1

Our invention relates to rotary fountain scrubbing brushes for cleaning bath tubs and automobiles especially, although not necessarily, and is designed as an improvement over the brush of our copending application, Serial No. 667,364, filed May 4, 1946, since abandoned.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a rotary fountain scrubbing brush operative hydraulically by Water under pressure from the usual house faucet and which is simple in construction, easy to handle, durable, and adapted for scrubbing such equipment as above mentioned without necessitating bending, or stooping, by a person using the brush.

Another object is to provide a device of the character and for the purposes above set forth, which is operative on the water turbine principle with water jet propulsion so as to obtain maximum power and speed of operation with a minimum waste of water.

Still another object is to provide in a device of the type indicated, an improved cleaning head adapted for scrubbing with a rotary action with soapy water and particularly in bends, corners, and the like, as well as on plane surfaces.

Other and subordinate objects, also comprehended by our invention, together with the precise nature of our improvements, and the advantages thereof, will be readily understood when the succeeding description and claims are read with reference to the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation, partly broken away, of our improved rotary fountain scrubbing brush in a preferred embodiment thereof, with the brush head in section;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view in longitudinal section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 and drawn to a larger scale;

Figure 3 is a similar view taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a view in transverse section taken on the line 44 of Figure 2 with parts shown in plan;

Figure 5 is a view in transverse section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a similar view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 3;

Figure '7 is another similar view taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 3;

Figure 8 is a detail view partly in section and partly in side elevation illustrating the discharge end of one of the pipes and the jet forming nozzle therein.

Referring now to the drawings by numerals,

2 our improved rotary fountain brush, in the embodiment illustrated, comprises as its basic elements, a, handle I, a water turbine 2, a shank 3, and a driven rotary brush head 4.

The handle I is of rounded, tapered form, and any suitable material, with a flush rubber cover 5 providing an easy hand grip, an axial nipple 6 at the larger rear end thereof for attachment by a hose H to a water faucet, not shown, an axial recess I in the smaller front end thereof, for a purpose presently described, an axial bore 8 establishing communications between the nipple 6 and the recess I for conveying water through the handle, and a forwardly flaring, circular flange 9 at said front end for attaching the handle to the turbine 2 in a manner to be explained.

The turbine, 2 comprises a pair of easing forming, substantially funnel shaped, rear and front shell sections, I0, I I fitting together edge to edge, in axial alignment, at the larger ends thereof and suitably secured together as by welding I2. The rear shell section II] is open at its rear end with an internal flange I3 around said end to which the fiange 9 of the handle is suitably secured, concentrically, as by welding I4, so that said handle I is secured to the rear shell section I0 axially of the same. The front shell section I I is formed with a front axial nipple I5 for attachment of the shank 3 thereto in a manner presently explained.

A disk-like rotor I6 with water-passing apertures I 6 therein, and circumferentially spaced edge cups II extending radially therefrom and all facing in one and the same direction is provided in the casing formed by said sections I0, II in the center of the casing, said disk I6 having a hub I9 thereon fixed by a set screw 20 on a head driving shaft 2I extending forwardly out of the front shell section II in the axis of the handle I and said sections II], II.

A jet-forming spider 22 is interposed between the handle I and said rotor I6 to extend from said handle into the rear shell section II]. The jet-forming spider 22 comprises a series of pipes 23 grouped around the head driving shaft 2l in equidistantly spaced relation circumferentially thereof and inclining forwardly of said shaft 2I with angular, free discharge ends 24 spaced slightly behind the circular path of movement of the cups I1 and adapted to discharge into said path at an angle such that the discharge will enter and impinge against the cups I'I. Angular, opposite ends 25 of the pipes 23 are grouped around and suitably fixed to a sleeve bearing 26, and are fitted in, the recess 1 in communication with the bore 8, the sleeve bearing 26 being fitted on a reduced rear end 21 of the head driving consequently the head driving shaft 2|.

shaft 2| whereby said shaft is afforded a bearing at said end thereof. The ends 25 of the pipes 23 may be secured in the recess 7 in any suitable manner other than by said shaft 2| which, as will presently be clear, holds the sleeve bearing 26 in said recess 1 and consequently said ends 25 of the pipes 23. Jet-forming nozzles 28 are threaded into the discharge ends 24 of said pipes 23, as best shown in Figure 8.

The shank 3 comprises a suitable length of tubing, of any suitable material, through which the head driving shaft 2| extends, and is provided with a reduced rear end 29 threaded into the nipple i5 and provided with an apertured bearing disk 39 recessed therein and through which the head driving shaft 2| is journaled with an end thrust collar 3| opposed to the rear side of said bearing disk. A head driving sleeve coupling 32 is rotatably fitted on a reduced front end portion 33 of the shank 3 and detachably secured thereto by a screw 34 fitting in a circumferential groove 35 in said end portion 33. The sleeve coupling 32 is provided with an internal, apertured web 33, for passing water therethrough, and in which the front end of the head driving shaft 2| is fixed by a radial screw 'i', so that said sleeve coupling is adapted to be driven by said shaft.

The brush head 4 comprises a hollow ball 38 with a nipple or inlet neck 33 threaded onto a reduced front end collar 49 on the sleeve coupling 32 for rotation by said sleeve coupling. Water discharge holes 4| are provided in the ball 38 to extend in rows from the nipple 39 to a larger hole 42 in said ball diametrically opposite said nipple 39. Wire brush backs 43 with brush bristles 44 secured thereto by twisting said backs are hooked at one end in the end holes 4| of the rows adjacent to the nipple 39 with the other ends thereof soldered in the hole 42 so that strip-like brushes are provided on the ball 38 to extend endwise from substantially the nipple 39 to a point diametrically opposite said nipple in spaced apart relation. In this connection, the backs 43 and bristles 44 are arranged to form strip brushes as close together as is feasible without weakening the ball 38 by the arrangement and number of holes 4| therein. As will be clear, the discharge holes 4| are arranged to discharge into the bristles 44.

The manner in which the described invention operates will be readily understood. With the nipple 5 attached by the hose H to a water faucet,

pressure issuing from the faucet passes through the handle i into the pipes 23 to issue in jet form out of the nozzles 28 and impinge against the cups l! of the rotoriS, thereby driving said rotor and The head driving shaft 2| drives the sleeve coupling 32 which serves to drive the brush head 4 with a rotary motion. Water discharging from the nozzles 28 finds its way through the shank 3, bearing disk 30 and web 35 into the ball 38 to issue out of the rows of holes 4| and into the bristles 44. By detaching the ball 39, or brush head 4, in a manner which will be obvious, soap pellets, powder, or the like, may be introduced into the ball 38 so that when said ball is replaced, a sudsy discharge of water will issue out of the holes 4|. With the device operating as described, it may be manipulated by the handle I easily to clean areas or parts remote from the handle without necessitating bending or stooping by a person using the same. Obviously, the flow of water to the turbine 2 may be regulated at the faucet to obtain slow or fast operation of the turbine 2, and hence the brush head 4, as desired.

The foregoing will, it is believed, suffice to impart a clear understanding of our invention, without further explanation.

Manifestly, the invention, as described, is susceptible of modification, without departing from the inventive concept, and right is herein reserved to such modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In combination, a water turbine having a casing, a water discharge tube fixed at one end to the casing in communication therewith, a hollow ball on the other end of the tube having an inlet neck at one side thereof and an opening in its opposite side coaxial with said neck, rotary means on said other end of the tube connected to said neck to rotate said ball and to which said turbine is operatively connected, and strip brushes on said ball extending endwise from the neck side of the ball to said opening with ends anchored in said opening, said brushes converging toward said sides of the ball, said ball having rows of openings therein parallel with said brushes for discharging water from the ball onto said brushes.

2. A brush comprising a hollow ball for containing water and having a water inlet neck at one side thereof and an opening in its opposite side coaxial with said neck, strip brushes on said ball extending endwise from the neck side of the ball to said opening with ends anchored in said opening, said brushes converging toward said sides of the ball, said ball having rows of openings therein parallel with said brushes for discharging water from said ball onto said brushes, and means on said neck for attaching said ball to a source of water supply under pressure.

LEON B. GRAFANI. NORMAN B. CHEBOT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 166,789 Leiner Aug. 17, 1875 197,580 White Nov. 27, 1877 718,967 Alford Jan. 27, 1903 900,609 Stewart et a1 Oct. 6, 1908 940,457 Gerhardt Nov. 16, 1909 1,108,475 Roland Aug. 25, 1914 1,171,755 Smith et a1 Feb. 15, 1916 1,381,221 Oves June 14, 1921 2,283,314 Ckola May 19, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 19,235 Germany Aug. 26, 1882 565,463 France Jan. 28, 1924 

